Dale Coyne Racing shows progress in qualifying at Iowa

Newton, IA (July 9, 2016) – Dale Coyne Racing drivers Gabby Chaves and Conor Daly qualified 18th and 21st respectively for Sunday’s Verizon IndyCar Series Iowa Corn 300, positions that are not indicative of the progress the team has made at Iowa Speedway.

Both drivers made great strides with the car in qualifying from the morning practice session. Chaves was the second to last driver to take to the track and following a couple of adjustments to his car following his teammates qualifying run, he managed to register an average two-lap speed of 180.390 mph, which placed him 18th on the starting grid for tomorrow’s race.

Daly was the sixth driver in line to qualify and initially placed fifth with an average speed of 178.646 mph following his two qualifying laps. With 16 more drivers to go following him and improving track conditions, the American would find himself 21st on the starting grid once all drivers had made their qualifying attempt.

The Iowa Corn 300 will go green on Sunday, July 10 at 5:40pm ET and will be televised live on NBCSN starting at 5pm ET.

Live timing and scoring will be available at www.indycar.com

What they have to say:
Gabby Chaves – #19 Boy Scouts of America
“I think we had a really good balance at the end of our run in practice. Obviously, we had a little too much drag on the car so we took that off for qualifying and the balance was a little different and I think that’s what kept us from being higher up. We had pretty good pace, if we were just able to keep the car flat all around the lap, I think we would have been right up there with the fastest of Hondas. That’s how we learn I guess. It’s definitely encouraging for tomorrow. We took some big steps here.”
Conor Daly – #18 Jonathan Byrd’s Hospitality & Restaurant Group
“For us we were just taking a big swing at it to be honest. We had a lot of downforce in practice but for qualifying we trimmed it out. We definitely took a chance. I think we were a little bit forward on the front grip so it was a little sketchy on the way in which was keeping us from being flat. That said, overall I think we’re much better than when we tested here and that was our goal in the end. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.”